Welcome to the family!

We would like to introduce two new little ones to the family.

Jody Inoke Katoa was born December 30, 2007 to Kilifi & Daisy Katoa, pictured hear with his older sister Lelu. Jody Inoke is the the grandson of Inoke & Lelu Katoa.


Maveni Teinasio Isaione Angilau was born February 17, 2008 to Inoke and Kalo Angilau. Inoke is the son of Valu (Katoa) & Maveni Angilau. Which makes baby Maveni the great grand son of Sione Katoa and great-great grandson of Kakapu & Fatai.

Uncle Vili Oto

This is a picture of Inoke, Sioeli, Sione, & Vili at the funeral of Salote Lavulo. It was great to see uncle Vili who flew in from Hawaii. Uncle Vili is currently undergoing treatment for cancer of the liver so please keep him in your prayers.

Congrats Tilesa!

Tilesa Fiana Fotu was baptized February 16, 2008. She is the daughter of Milika Lolohea (Katoa) & Falamani Fotu. They wish to express their love and thanks for all the support. Congrats "Lesa"! We love you!

Salote Niumoefanga Lavulo

We are saddened by the loss of our dear family member, Salote N. Lavulo. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 8 in Bountiful, Utah. Salote is the daughter of Mele Vaohingano "Vao" and Piuleini Taufa. Vao is grandma Fatai's older sister. Salote and her family spent alot of time in Hautu with Grandma, Grandpa and our mom's and dad's. Many of the family attended her funeral including Vili Oto who flew in from Hawaii, Sione lahi, Sioeli & Saane, Inoke & Lelu and many of us younger generation brothers and sisters. Salote will be missed greatly! Our condolences, best wishes, and love go out to her siblings, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Ofa lahi atu!

Hema & Becky Katoa

Well I hope this blog becomes a place where our family can keep up with each other. I know several of you have visited but as of yet we have not had the interaction I have hoped for. So...let me begin with my little family. I am Sioeli & Saane's second oldest. I currently reside in Lehi, Utah. My wife Becky and I have two wonderful children, Hema and Vela. I work for a local school district as a specialist providing couseling for at-risk students and training teachers and administrators about at-risk behaviors and other "safe schools" issues. I also provide mental health services part-time for another private angency, specializing in services for Pacific Islanders.
I hope that with all this technology we are blessed with we can continue to keep the strong family ties that I have experienced since I was a child. When our family first migrated to the USA they struggled together to survive. Now that we have all managed to established ourselves let's not let the strength of our family ties weaken.
If you would like to participate please e-mail photos, videos, and messages to me at melinomoeofa@live.com and I will post them. If you have any questions you can e-mail or comment on this post. Also please spread the word to other family members. Malo.

Ofa Atu

Family Christmas in Utah

Family members in Utah celebrated Christmas together on Saturday, December 22 in Tooele. We had more than 60 people attend and we were pleased to have Sione (lahi), Sioeli & Saane, and Inoke in attendance with us. The festivities were scheduled for 12:00 noon but most of the family didn't show until abou 1:30 to 2:00 pm...as usual. Some things never change! The kids had lots of fun playing basketball and there was tons of food with plenty to pack and take home. The old folks shared some Christmas thoughts with us and then we played a family game of BINGO. We had lots of fun prizes for both children and adults. It was awesome to see everyone playing together. We want to thank Jody, Tapenisi & Siale Havili and their children for hosting the party this year. Everyone had a wonderful time.

A growing family!

This photo was taken in July of 2006 at a family reunion in Salt Lake City, Utah.